Lessons: My updates need to be more often

So my favorite story of the day. Stella, who is our housekeeper and new family member is learning to cook American. She is learning but doing a good job. She often makes snacks for the boys when they come home. She made corn bread muffins yesterday. They were so excited. I was glad she had made something semi healthy that the boys loved. They each ate 3. Dinner was not so successful, but still a small step towards kids getting food they need. Then in the morning the kids asked for the last of the corn muffins. So they got them with breakfast. I asked Stella in the day later how she made them.
Flour, butter, eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar.....
Where did you get the corn?
I did not use Maize.

So I pretty much served my kids cupcakes for dinner and breakfast last night. Good mom.....

Story two:

In order to travel to Kenya next week for vacation we have to buy special insurance for the car. In trying to get this, the company that I was at told me my current car insurance had really almost gone bankrupt and hadn't paid a claim in over 3 years. ( Tanzania Nati0nal Insurance) So we decide we need real insurance for the car and I give her the registration. She asks me my name etc....and two days later I pick up the insurance. It is in someone elses name. I ask why. She registered it under the name on the title- which is the old owner and not our name. David hadn't given me the new title. So Now we don't have time to get the correct insurance before we leave. She says she will change it all and not to worry but just to pretend that we are drivng the car of the previous owners- not ours. So then I go to customs to get a special certificate that lets us avoid hassels at the border. You have to leave your title with them. he makes me leave our real title and says the same thing. "Pretend you are driving these peoples car if you do not have time to get the name on the insurance changed."

So I love that it took me about 2 days worth of investigation for insurance and I still did it wrong, but that everyone says no worries. We know who you are if something happens and will help you. So off we go to Kenya.

Wish us luck.

adventure: driving around arusha town

So people keep asking for more town pics. So here are a few. I am driving well on the left side so far. Hard to take pics and drive. Keep turning on my windshield wipers when I mean to turn on turn signal, but I have clean windows a lot. ( everything is on the wrong side)


my favorite bus in town


houses on outskirts of town

gas station

bike shop

furniture store- birch wants the red velvet couch

home depot

everything is painted yellow or hot pink- if you advertise for the phone companies then you get free paint......

we are a Obama loving nation- go health care.....

how to get things from one place to another

lesson: go to share time at school to see your kids

ISM School share day. Cole's unit of inquiry is media mania so they did interpretive dance with puppets to show feelings. He is excited!!!! Sleepy was fun too but it takes so long to do videos. Birch's units is animals and people and how they affect each other. They did a great skit on endangered animals and how we can protect them. Birch was a whale that was upset people were dumping chemicals in the sea. His teacher asked how he knew the whale sound "from nemo?"- he laughed and said "no from whales............."- I reminded her he lived in AK and went to Hawaii.

travel: Niloholo (place near the place near water)

Niloholo is an area in Masai country of Tanzania. David told me two hours drive. Matt told me four hours drive. It was a six hour drive. Both kids smashed their heads into the car ceiling at least once on the bumps.

We went to camp but also went for TNC work. We were able to see some great projects that work on community and wildlife conservation agreements. We went to a Masai boma to see a living wall that acts as a fence for cows to keep predators out. It is made of live plants.... David and Matt had a meeting with elders and politicians. Cole and Birch each gave some hugs to elders. Amazing since most of the time they are scared to death of non English speaking Masai coming up to hug them.

The camp had some hard tents so we did not rough it too much. Heard hyenas and bush babies in the night. Saw 10000000 stars. Both kids fell asleep on our labs by the camp fire.

The view from the top of a hill shows the plains near Tarangire park. Elephants too small to see roaming wild.

Hugs from Masai.

Views of the plains.

random time in the village

the kids loved travelling like this around village

the fire pit

scenes from the road driving. Little kids checking us out as we check them out.

Why it took 6 hours.

Village meeting with elders and TNC. Kids playing in the car while it happens with tons of kids staring at our kids who then started to show off.....One elder said" kids are the same everywhere"

everyone's xmas present from us this year- get ready " tire shoes"

why it took 6 hours

8 million buckets lined up for bore hole water

Birch and Cole did circus camp on a long Sunday. It is hard to find things to do with the kids in Arusha town. Lots to do as far as safari, trips away etc... but town can be kind of hard to entertain kids in. I can only take the TGT swimming pool so many times a week. So I forced them into camp and they ended up loving it. Check out Cole's cool shoulder moves while juggling.

Adventure:Birch turns saba (seven)

Birch turned 7 and since David was out of town, Matt suggested we go to Ngorogoro farm house. Nice pool, great lawns, and good farm food. It is a big place that caters to tourists, but since we are residents and Matt and Lisa already had been we got the home style service. Great cake and singing TGIF Tanzania style. Birch loved the day. See his new TZ flag he got from his bestest friends- " the girls" and Anderson.

Adventure: the move to the new house and a visit to the crater

So we finally made the move to the new house. Our crate still isn't here so we are with borrowed furniture and a few new pieces. Every single pipe was not working at some point but now are working and we are settling. The kids took some pics for you. I had to erase the 8 million of every corner, bath, and lock. We do have a lot of security though. We also have back up batteries for when there is no electricity- a lot..

David got back in town and we immediately left to visit Gibbs farm and Ngorogoro Crater. The crater was great. We saw a lion at every turn. A magnificent rain storm passed us while we were in the middle. Total animal list for the trip- hyena, rhino, hippo, baboon, lion, ostrich, wildebeest, wart hog, gazelles, flamingos, elephants, jackals, crane birds, and giraffes on the way to the crater. One crazy baboon jumped on our car and tried to get a bag of bread.

Kids doing great in school. Cole took his video camera for the letter V

Planning a big Kenya trip in March.

I celebrated 42 and Birch celebrates 7 soon.

Some of the pics are for popi to paint and some are Cole's artistic impression.
Peace joey